October Female Athlete of the Month: Alexis Ban

Tennis is a mind game as much as it’s a physical one. As such, First Singles girls tennis player Sr. Alexis Ban always tries to win the mental battle against her opponent.

“Tennis is a very mental game, so if you can go in with a mindset of what you need to do, [you can be very successful],” Ban said. “By the end of the season, [the goal was] to go in with a strong mindset and play a good mental game.”

The Pascack Valley Girls Tennis team finished with an 8-10 record, with Ban recording wins in 12 of her 18 matches. 

Ban was able to lead her team to the 5th seed in the North 1, Group 2 NJSIAA state tournament. After the team claimed the first win in the tournament against No. 12 Ramsey, the Panthers dropped a 4-1 loss against No.4 Mahwah. Ban’s leadership allowed the team to reach the quarterfinals of its respective state tournament. The girls were able to secure a win in their final game of the season, in a close match against Paramus. 

Coming into the season, Ban knew she needed to be a leader after the team lost four key seniors who graduated last year. Throughout the season, Ban stepped up and encouraged her teams to stay mentally ready for each match.

“I think we did a really good job of improving our weaknesses as a team and playing hard,” Ban said. “Aimee Hoffman and I came in as the captains of the team, and we tried to just lead the team to have a good mindset.”

Ban attributes much of her success to coach Daniel Phillips. His prior tennis experience in both high school and college has encouraged Ban to learn a great deal and improve her game.

“He [Phillips] does a very good job of not focusing on the small things but focusing on the bigger picture and what I need to accomplish.”

Coach Phillips has nothing but praise for Ban and the way she carries herself on the court. He commends the way she leads by example and how her performances have allowed the team to reach the next level.

“As our co-captain and number one player, she has led with determination, integrity, and heart on and off the court,” Phillps said. “She has become an example of excellence to all aspiring tennis players in the PV community.

Through the season, Ban made sure to lead with a positive attitude and stressed that the team should maintain a hard-working mentality. 

“[Aimee and I] tried to stay on the court as long as we could and show that we were putting our all into every match so that some of the younger members [could learn],” Ban said.

As both of her parents played tennis, Ban and her sister Jordyn have been playing tennis since a very young age. They started taking lessons early on, which allowed both of them to be successful.

So. Jordyn Ban, Alexis’s sister, was the Second Singles on the team. 

“I really like being on the team with [Jordyn]. I think it’s something you don’t really get to experience with a lot of things,” Ban said. “We grew up playing together and now being able to cheer each other on when one finishes first is really cool.”

One of Ban’s favorite sports memories comes from this year’s match against Old Tappan, in which she was able to cheer on Jordyn in the final match. After Alexis had defeated her opponent, Jordyn ended up winning her match to give Valley the win.

Ban thanks her parents for being such great role models in her life and leading her to success on the tennis court and in life. 

Ban doesn’t think she will play tennis at the varsity level in college, but she hopes to play on the school’s club team.

“I don’t want to stop playing because it is a really big part of my life,” Ban said.